The Fusion Paradox
by anya6
Summary: A post-Hogwarts fic involving canon characters. Includes adult situations. Do not read if you are squicked by the thought of a threesome (as in a love triangle) relationship between a girl and two guys, which will definitely happen in the story. You ha
1. Prologue

The Fusion Paradox (Prologue/?)   
Author: Anya   
Author email: anya@schnoogle.com  
Category: Humor, romance, mystery, adventure, drama  
Keywords: Harry, Hermione, Draco, Ron  
Spoilers: For all the books, just to be safe :D  
Rating: R  
Summary: A post-Hogwarts fic involving canon characters. Includes adult situations. Do not read if you are squicked by the thought of a threesome (as in a love triangle) relationship between a girl and two guys, which will definitely happen in the story. You have been warned.

Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. Song fragment is from _I Need You_ by LeAnn Rimes. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. Other citations will be made where necessary. 

Author's Note: This is more hard-edged than any other fics or ficlets I have done. 

This goes to my beta, **Madam PomFreya** (I'm lucky that you're one funny wench), **Sabs**, valiant Y!M-er, great friend and **Jyotsna**, stellar twin.

Prologue

_I don't need a lot of things,  
I can get by with nothing  
Of all the blessings life can bring,  
I've always needed something  
But I've got all I want  
When it comes to loving you  
You're my only reason,  
You're my only truth  
  
I need you like water  
Like breath, like rain...   
_

The night of Harry's 21st birthday was a joyous one. Friends from all over the wizarding world congregated in his apartment, talking and laughing, catching up on old times. Harry was in the balcony, taking a breather and sipping a glass of white wine. Hermione stepped outside to join him, holding a slice of bread pudding on a saucer in one hand and sliding the glass door shut with the other.

"Hello... I brought you this. Want to go for a walk? I couldn't actually find some toast and thought this would be a good substitute," she teasingly while setting the saucer down on the small table.

Harry laughed, remembering all those walks around the lake. He ran a hand through his hair, which was still sticking wildly in all directions. No matter what he did to it, it had a life of its own. He smiled at her sheepishly and said, "I just wanted some space. I needed to think for a while."

"Would you rather prefer that I leave you alone?" Hermione asked, poised to turn back inside the apartment.

Harry stopped her by taking hold of her hand just as she was about to walk towards the glass doors. He pulled her near to him and held her loosely within his right arm. She slipped an arm around his waist comfortably and rested her head on her shoulder. They stood quietly there for a while, just listening to each other breathe.

Ron slid open the balcony door and froze as he saw the scene before him. Hermione gently disentangled herself from Harry's embrace and looked at Ron. "Come, join us for a while."

Ron relaxed visibly and joined them. He was holding a flute glass of champagne and sipped slowly as he looked at his two friends over the rim of the glass. Harry was looking at Hermione, who was leaning on the railing, looking at the city lights below. Ron sighed. Hermione had always been a silent point of contention between him and Harry. Not that it ever interfered with their friendship. They had been careful not to compete openly for her affections. And their friendship was paramount to any other extraneous feelings. Sometimes, he wished it wasn't so. It was hard not to go for what you wanted, although Harry seemed to be doing a fine job of it. He walked over to a wrought-iron chair and sat on it.

Looking over at Hermione again, he thought about her decision. She was insistent upon living as a single woman. And therefore, not really inclined towards being in a romantic relationship at this point in her life. She was careful not to favour either of them. Ron knew that she was not aware of the 'man-to-man' talk he and Harry had about her in the seventh year. At first they thought that perhaps she might prefer those of her own sex, because she did not really respond to any of the romantic overtures they made towards her in their last year at Hogwarts. She had to correct that impression when they finally worked up the nerve to ask --- she just did not 'swing that way.' 

Hermione told them that there was nothing wrong with wanting to be on her own for a while, no offence to their friendship. Ron thought suspiciously that perhaps it had been that very friendship that stopped her from making an actual choice between him and Harry.

He looked at the view between the bars of the railing, contemplating the feathery design of the night clouds against the sky. Trust Harry to pick a building high enough to have a view that was the nearest thing to being on a broomstick. Not that he had any complaints about it, he grinned inwardly, swirling the clear liquid inside his glass. He had a unit here himself. But nothing as grand as Harry's penthouse.

Hermione turned back to face them, leaning the small of her back against the railing and crossing her arms across her chest. She shivered a little and rubbed her arms for some warmth. She was glad that none of the two boys immediately went into action to offer her a coat or something. They had learnt their lesson from falling over their feet, trying to anticipate her every need in their last year of school. It was sweet for a while but then it irritated her that they were doing it continuously. She did not think of herself as a particularly fragile female and told them off. From then on, they were careful not to pay her any special attention, although it was rather amusing when they slipped at times. 

Harry restrained himself from removing his coat for exactly 5 minutes. He could not stand it anymore and muttered, "Sorry" before handing his coat to Hermione. 

She grinned and said, "Don't worry, I won't bite your head off for this." She slipped the coat around her shoulders and sat down on the chair next to Ron. 

"Doesn't it seem a bit...anti-climactic, picking careers as professional Quidditch players after Voldemort?" Hermione looked upwards at the sky dreamily. She started twisting a lock of her hair around her finger.

Harry stared at the lock of hair being wound around the finger in fascination. He shook himself out of his reverie and leaned against the railing. "Why not? Maybe we just got tired of chasing after evil. A guy has to have a bit of rest at times." He crossed his arms across his chest defensively.

"Mind you, Quidditch _is_ real work. Getting hit by bludgers and chasing after a tiny ball is no mean feat," Ron added. "All work and no play makes these Jacks dull boys."

"You're nutters, both of you," Hermione said fondly. To be honest, she _ did_ understand where they were both coming from. It had been tiring to have a Sword of Damocles over one's head in the form of Voldemort. And it was not easy to be on the sidelines as well, worried for your best friend. She and Ron could attest to that. 

However, whereas she went on to become an Auror precisely because of their experience with Voldemort, the guys decided to go on to professional Quidditch. Being an Auror did not have the same appeal. Not when you could always have the fame and adulation that came with playing such a popular sport.

She looked at the night sky and started identifying familiar constellations silently. Orion. Taurus. Cassiopeia. Sirius. Oh, no --- that reminded her about something. Sirius was supposed to come up with the big birthday surprise an hour before midnight. And it was only a few minutes before that.

Hermione stood up, gave back the coat to Harry and said, "I think I'll be going in." She wracked her brains for an excuse to ask him to go back to the party. "Harry, er, as the host you have to mingle with your guests." She looked at Ron meaningfully.

Ron caught on to what she was trying to do and stood up. "I have to get a refill anyway. Come along," he urged Harry.

Harry looked from Hermione to Ron and shrugged his shoulders. "Okay, just give me a minute." He slid his arms into the coat, straightened it and slid the sole button deftly into its hole. Hermione brushed off any lint from the lapels of his coat and felt him shiver a little. 

"Cold, Harry?" she asked solicitously.

"Ah, not anymore." He hoped that the relative darkness hid his blush well.

They stepped back inside to rejoin the party, which had become quite loud. Fred was doing a trick that did not involved magic --- he stuck a spoon on his nose and was parading himself around amidst howls of laughter. George slipped something on the seat Susan Bones was about to sit in. She jumped as a loud shriek seemed to emit from the chair, "You sat on me! That huuuuurt!" She shooked a finger at George, who was clutching his stomach, chortling at the success of his prank, then gave up and giggled along with him. 

Charlie Weasley, Draco Malfoy and Remus Lupin were standing near the fireplace, chatting about the latest in dragonhide usage. Ginny Weasley was talking quietly in a corner with Colin Creevey and Terry Boot. Oliver Wood was conversing with Katie Bell, Angelina Johnson and Alicia Spinnet. Cho Chang was sitting on the sofa set with a pregnant Penelope Weasley while her husband, Percy, went to get a glass of water for her. Rubeus Hagrid was at the table, eating with the other latecomers: Albus Dumbledore, Minerva McGonagall, Bill Weasley and his wife, Max, and...Severus Snape. Hermione stifled a small cry at seeing her old Potions teacher sitting at the table, chatting amicably with Professor McGonagall. It still jarred her a little at times that he was on better terms with Harry, seeing as they had all fought to bring about the defeat of Voldemort. Not best friends, but anything was better than the days he had stripped so many points from Gryffindor on Harry's account. Perhaps the reason why they _were_ on better terms was that Snape could no longer find a way to pick on Harry. Hermione shook her head at such cynical thoughts and smiled brightly when she saw Sirius coming toward her. 

Uh-oh. He has a worried look on his face. Not a good sign, she thought anxiously. Sirius beckoned her to follow him and she discreetly went into the kitchen a few seconds after he disappeared into it. 

"We have a problem," he said without shilly-shallying. "Sabrina can't make it. She came down with the flu this afternoon. I did bring her costume, though."

Hermione thought quickly. She could not ask Ginny to take Sabrina's place and jump out of Harry's cake in a skimpy costume --- otherwise, all the Weasley men in attendance would try to cover up their 'little' sister. She grinned at the image it produced, which prompted Sirius to ask her about it. She shared it with him and they had a laugh before hurriedly discussing other possibilities. Cho would have been a logical choice, except that they felt a little intimidated about asking her. She was very nice, but it might put her in the awkward position of refusing them. Sirius and Hermione came up with a few more names but discarded them just as swiftly. 

Hermione groaned and looked at Sirius. "I'm going to have to do this, aren't I?" She felt extremely shy at the thought of doing it and she felt her knees quail at the thought. She started silently rationalising it away...it was a blow against her image as a single, independent woman (but she was perfectly willing to let their friend Sabrina do it, her mind traitorously thought), she was not the type to do it (but neither was she thought to be the type who wanted to remain single forever) and she would forever humiliate herself (even though it was for a good cause). At least she knew the dance. She had to research on it and teach it to Sabrina, which had been a lot of fun when she thought someone else would be doing it.

She wanted to tell Sirius that maybe they should not go through with it anymore but then everyone knew about the surprise and was expecting it. Except for Harry, of course. Oh, Harry, she thought and decided in that instant that there was nothing else but for her to do it.

Sirius had been watching her face carefully and knew the battle had been won when he saw the resignation there. He quietly handed over the costume to her and she wrinkled her nose in disgust. When she selected it weeks before, she had no idea she would end up being the one wearing it. Or else she would have chosen a more conservative one. The old maid costume would have been perfect.

They hurriedly went out of the room and into the hallway. Hermione slipped inside the giant cardboard cake. She dressed inside it and tossed out her clothing to Sirius, who went to the hallway cupboard and left it there. He went into the living room and gestured for Ron to go outside. He then switched off all the lights, which instantly hushed all the conversation. Ron started rolling the giant cake inside while everyone started singing, as if on cue, "Happy birthday to you...happy birthday to you..."

Harry was surprised to see the cake (which was huge and probably fake) with its enchanted candles lighting up the enormous living room. Sirius grinned at him and placed a ribbon in his hand. "Happy birthday, Harry."

He pulled the ribbon and the candles started floating towards the ceiling. The cake slowly opened and a girl dressed as a belly dancer slowly stood up, hands gracefully moving about in the air. She stepped out of the cake and began dancing, making all the veils whirl about around her. She was not looking at anyone but Harry, and so did not see the stunned look on Draco's face when he recognised her. He looked around the room to see if anyone else had caught on to it but it seemed that only Ron did, as he was frantically signalling to Sirius. 

She twirled around and around, then bent over backwards while swishing the veils in her hands. The gold coins on a chain clinked against each other as her belly undulated. Everyone watched in fascination as she let her long hair touch the floor before rolling back up and swaying her hips.

Harry knew from the very moment she stepped out that it was Hermione. Blood started pumping loudly in his veins and he felt like he would combust at that very moment. He looked steadily at her as she began circling the room, tantalisingly removing the veils one by one, tossing them at every male in the room. She came to a stop in front of him, hesitantly removed the veil that covered her face and gave him a kiss.

It was supposed to be only a friendly peck to cap the whole performance but Harry held on to her, keeping his hands on her waist, kissing her fiercely. She dimly heard the applause coming from the others but could not focus on it as her mind was spinning. Her heart pounded in her ears. She felt as if all the bones in her body had melted and she was left holding on to him to keep from sliding to the floor. They broke off the kiss and stared into each other's eyes. She found that she was sitting on his lap, although she could not recall getting there. Coming to her senses, she re-fastened the veil and fled into one of the rooms. Sirius followed her with her clothing and left her to dress up. 

Ron was stunned. It was as if his mind could not accept what had happened. He wanted to punch a wall, punch anything and anyone. Except for Harry. He looked at the floor, trying to comprehend what had just happened. The excited babble around him slowly filtered into his consciousness..."I didn't know Hermione could dance like that"..."Wow, guess all women should hang out in the library if they turn out like that --- oww!"...that had been Fred being hit by Angelina..."Are they going out or what?"...

He slumped in his seat, waves of dejection washing over him. He went over to the bar and joined Oliver, who was pouring himself a drink. It was going to be a long night and he wanted to be mind-numbingly drunk before it ended. 

The show was over. Some of the guests were already Apparating out. Some had passed out right on the carpet. Some of them had been provided with rooms, as they were staying over. Draco went over to a couch, dropped gracefully into it and yawned, wondering where Hermione could be. He did not notice Harry slipping into the room Hermione disappeared into. 

************

Hermione turned and looked at Harry, who entered the room just as she was about to change. They looked at each other and Hermione felt herself weaken as he walked purposefully towards her.

"Did you know that this is my room?" he whispered softly as he came within touching distance of her.

"I didn't think at all when I..." Suddenly she felt as if all the air in the room had been sucked out as he trailed a finger down her cheek and continued leisurely down her arm. The next thing she knew, she was in his arms and they were kissing intensely, drinking of each other, hands frantically seeking the warm skin underneath the clothes. All other thoughts vanished as he bent over, carried her, and set her on the bed, all without breaking off the kiss.

That was fine. She did not want to think of anything at all except this.

************

She laid quietly in the dark, listening to his deep breathing, watching as his chest rhythmically went up and down regularly. His arm was beneath her head, the other curled loosely around her body. Please, please, let him be asleep... she pleaded silently.

Hermione slid quietly off the bed, not bothering to cover herself with the sheet as it might disturb the man sleeping soundly in the bed. She picked up her clothes swiftly from the floor, put them on hastily and made her way to the door. She whispered a silencing spell on it and froze as he shifted his sleeping position; his hand searching sleepily at his side before deep slumber claimed him again. Looking at his beloved face, angelic in repose, she felt as if her heart was breaking. If there were any other way...she shook her head in response to her own doubts and stiffened her resolve. I already gave him the only gift I could give. I have messed up enough, I don't want to mess up everything. It would be better if I left now. She looked at him again one last time, wishing that she could at least brush away his fringe off his forehead. Turning away, she opened the door and walked out of his life.

End of Chapter


	2. All The Good Things

The Fusion Paradox (1/?)   
Author: Anya   
Author email: anya@schnoogle.com  
Category: Humor, romance, mystery, adventure, drama  
Keywords: Harry, Hermione, Draco, Ron  
Spoilers: For all the books, just to be safe :D  
Rating: R  
Summary: A post-Hogwarts fic involving canon characters. Includes adult situations. Do not read if you are squicked by the thought of a threesome (as in a love triangle) relationship between a girl and two guys, which will definitely happen in the story. You have been warned.

Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. Song fragment is from _When It's Over_ by Sugar Ray. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. Other citations will be made where necessary. 

Author's Note: This is more hard-edged than any other fics or ficlets I have done. 

Thanks to my beta, **Madam PomFreya**. And for **Kathy**, who's stuck with me.

Chapter One: All The Good Things

_When it's over _

_That's the time I fall in love again _

_And when it's over _

_That's the time you're in my heart again _

_And it never ends _

_   
All the things that I used to say _

_All the words that got in the way _

_All the things that I used to know _

_Have gone out the window _

"It's been a bloody year to the day now, Harry," Ron said, as they trudged inside their apartment building. They dropped their bags in the lobby as they waited for the elevator. "And how did we celebrate your 22nd birthday yesterday? Gah, what kind of celebration is it when we just spend another day looking for Hermione again? I'm telling you, when that girl decides to get lost, she stays lost. As the 'most intelligent witch of our generation,' " said Ron, as if quoting from a magazine, "she could be expected to have certainly covered her tracks well. And she did, so maybe now we can just wait until..." 

Harry turned savagely toward Ron, saying in a tight voice, "I can't believe you of all people would be telling me this. Hermione goes missing and all you can complain about is how tired you are..."

"She left me too, Harry!" exploded Ron, his fists bunching at his sides in the effort not to strike out physically. "You act as if she betrayed you by leaving. I knew that there was something going on between the two of you during your party last year but what I'm wondering about is what happened to make her leave!"

"I already told you that she spent the night with me. Me," Harry said in a monotone. "I know you also had feelings for her but didn't we lay out all cards on the table during our seventh year? Didn't we agree 'may the best man win'? Sometimes I wonder if you are not as concerned about her leaving without a word because you knew she picked me."

"Shut up!" shouted Ron, finally taking a swing at Harry, which missed the mark. They started struggling with each other until they ended up rolling on the floor, trading a few punches. The elevator doors suddenly opened and out stepped Malfoy, immaculately dressed in black. He cocked his head to the side and looked appraisingly at them with a raised eyebrow. 

"Nice of you to drop by. But, don't you think it's better till you reach a bedroom before you start shagging each other?" drawled Draco.

Harry and Ron sat up, shirts torn and new bruises starting to show. They both stood up and straightened their clothes. Ron shot a malevolent look at Draco.

Ah, if looks could kill, Draco thought, biting back a smile. He turned to Harry and said in clipped tones, "Harry, I knew you'd be here. There's an emergency at the Headquarters."

Ron marvelled at the ease with which Draco could talk to them. If not for the fact that Draco had fought on their side in their last battle with Voldemort, he doubted that they would even be acting civilly towards each other. For his part, he wouldn't trust Draco not to steal the last leg of a chicken from a starving man but he would trust him with his life. The irony was enough to make him throw up. However, Harry would not appreciate it if he spoiled the carpet.

"What happened?" Harry asked, picking up his bag and walking towards the elevator. He stood inside for a minute before recalling that all it required to reach its destination was a thought. Ron and Draco were looking at him curiously as they stepped inside with him. It was so very different from his Muggle upbringing. He expelled his breath forcefully and thought of his apartment, which whisked the elevator up to the penthouse. He stepped out, dropped his bag carelessly on the carpet in the corridor and probed the lock of the door with his mind. Wandless magic was certainly something he was definitely getting used to. The lock gave a soft click, and the three of them went in. Ron immediately dropped his bag and robe and headed for the kitchen. He opened the refrigerator and began taking out the makings of a sandwich. Draco took out a pitcher of ginger ale as well and with an "Accio, glass!" poured out some for himself. Harry asked in amusement, 

"Don't either of you have any food in your own apartment?" 

"I probably do, but when you can get things for free..." Ron grinned as he looked as his sandwich, which was overflowing with the slices of meat and the amount of garnish he put into it. 

Draco just looked at Harry coolly, downed the whole glass and poured another. 

Harry sighed. He went into his room, stripped off all his clothes and went to shower. The hot water automatically switched on and poured out of the shower head. He rotated his neck lazily so that the stream of water snaked its way down, hitting all his sore spots. Listening to the two men trading insults in the dining area, he smiled at the thought that they had all come a long way from Hogwarts. 

"Oh, yeah, Malfoy? Well, your father couldn't find his way out of..." 

"Let's leave the dead out of this," Draco said tersely. He had become independently wealthy, thanks to his parents' demise in the last battle with Voldemort. Although he could have lived in the Malfoy mansion, he chose to purchase a whole floor in the building Harry owned. Living in an apartment building set in a Muggle environment was a new experience, one that he was curious about.

Ron shut up, conscious of his faux pas. His own parents, thankfully, were alive and well. His father had expanded his interest in all things Muggle by opening a repair shop near The Leaky Cauldron, in addition to his Ministry work. Ron snickered at the thought that unsuspecting Muggles who were regular customers never guessed that their appliances were being fixed magically when Arthur Weasley could not figure out how it worked. The shop's success rate had been so phenomenal that Harry had to warn Mr. Weasley to slow it down, otherwise, people would become suspicious, advice which Mr. Weasley took to heart.

He was given a reprieve when Harry came out of his room, dressed in his Auror uniform. It was made of smooth black cotton twill and creased in the right places. Thankfully, it was not the type which wrinkled, given the kind of assignments they had.

Ron picked up his bag and robe on the way out, waving a careless goodbye to the others. He intended to go down two floors to take a shower in the apartment he bought from Harry with the reward money he got in the battle with Voldemort. Little did he know that the money he paid was being kept in a secret vault under his name at Gringotts. 

As soon as he left, Draco turned to Harry and asked, "What was the fight all about?"

Not getting any response, he soon found out that the other man was lost in his own thoughts. He went over to the living room and sprawled on the white leather couch, crossed his arms under his head and started thinking about what had happened in the lobby before they all came up. He had realised that there had been unresolved issues that stemmed from Hermione's disappearance right after Harry's birthday the previous year. Both men probably just needed to release some tension. He glanced again at Harry, whose head was buried in his hands. He resumed staring at the ceiling and began to wonder why Harry, of all people, had chosen to buy an apartment building in Muggle London and disguise it as a dilapidated, shabby old structure when in reality, its furnishings and other amenities were as modern as possible. Granted, it was near enough The Leaky Cauldron...he shrugged elegantly. Not that he was complaining, as he was perfectly willing to take advantage of it as well. All the residents were witches and wizards, most of them old schoolmates from Hogwarts. And disguising the facade apparently worked, as no Muggle had ever been curious enough to inquire about living in the building.

A frown crossed his face as he contemplated his own reasons for being there. All his life his father had raised him to believe that all Muggles were inferior to him. His eyes narrowed as he remembered taunting Hermione with the term 'mudblood,' for which he was now repentant. The reason for the shameful snobbery was now revealed to him as the disguised fear of people who could not adjust to what the magical world was evolving into. Pureblood, he sneered at himself bitterly. He shifted his position slightly, biting the inside of his bottom lip. He did not realise how affected he was by his thoughts until he tasted blood. Wiping his lips absentmindedly with the back of his hand, he thought about a lifetime of beliefs, wiped out by the treachery of his own father. Readjusting his viewpoint had been difficult, to say the least. It had been a hard five years clawing out of the darkness in which he had floated. Hermione had been a compassionate companion in his journey, forgiving him their immature bickering. Now, he vowed silently, I will find my own truths. 

Hermione. His thought shifted back to the most probable cause of the fight in the lobby. Apparently, there were still unresolved issues about her disappearance, and the lingering tension had made the two friends trade blows. She was the reason Harry was opting for field assignments more frequently now, in the hopes that he would find her in the places he was assigned to. All Aurors had the choice of domestic or international assignments. Draco, although he had chosen international assignments at first, had been selecting domestic `assignments lately.

Hermione had always been headstrong and independent, which, added to her intelligence and compassion, made her a fairly attractive witch. And a bane for any man who happened to fall in love with her. Draco knew that she wanted to live on her own as a single woman and marriage was the farthest thing from her mind. He shifted again and propped his pale blond head on his left fist as Harry snapped out of his trance and started walking to the armchair beside the couch. He quirked an eyebrow at Harry, who responded with a question.

"What was it you were asking again?" 

"Never mind. I figured out the cause of the fight for myself."

Harry sucked in his breath, expelled it slowly and shook his head. He hated fighting with Ron. And over Hermione yet. Although it seemed that Ron was quite over her and had been dating other witches, it must have rankled that Hermione had seemingly chosen Harry over him. Not that it was an actual choice, since she had left. He went crazy trying to find her, certain that she had been taken forcibly. But it was impossible as it looked like she had taken care of her affairs before leaving. She had given George, one of the Weasley twins, access to her apartment so that he could check on it from time to time. Crookshanks and her house plants were being cared for by Neville. Since both lived in the building, it wasn't really much of a bother. It was as if she had taken an extended trip, except that she had not left word as to where she would be, which was a first. Harry had a bond with Hermione and Draco which he could not explain. It happened when they were all in that last desperate fight with Voldemort...

************

Ron rushed into the Forbidden Forest, casting aside the bushes with a flick of his wand and a muttered spell as he looked desperately for signs as to where Ginny went. It was a source of confusion for him that while the others were busy putting up additional wards, preparing the castle for a siege from the Death Eaters, he saw his sister slip off, running in the direction of the woods. Harry and Hermione were following in his wake. He was nearly in the state of panic as the castle was the safest place for everyone. Where had Ginny gone off to? 

Harry and Hermione stopped, out of breath. It seemed as if they had lost Ron. They looked around and tried to re-orient themselves. The Forbidden Forest was frightening enough by day but at night... Goosebumps came out on Hermione's arms as she frantically tried to look at signs for Ron's whereabouts. 

Suddenly, a scream and a flash of light emanated from the side. Rushing to the scene, Harry and Hermione found Ron on the ground beside a huge stone in the clearing. She rushed to his side and checked him for vital signs. Harry looked around anxiously as he guarded his friends. Hermione looked at Harry with trepidation mixed with hope.

"He's alive...barely. His pulse is weak. Maybe he was struck by one of the giant spiders. We have to get him back to the castle quickly..."

Then she noticed the amount of acromantula scattered about on the ground around them, just on the periphery of the clearing...dead. Their legs were sticking grotesquely up in the air.

Hermione stood up after she saw Harry staring in the direction of a hooded figure walking toward them in a deliberate manner. The figure flicked off the hood on her head and what they saw made them freeze in shock. It was Ginny...but with red eyes. Harry took a step back, shielding Hermione and Ron. Hermione took out her wand and grasped it firmly, although she was shaking inside. Ginny's features suddenly dissolved, until they were left gaping at the sight of Voldemort.

"Harry..." Hermione whispered, breaking the fragile silence that seemed to have been cast over them. Harry spoke in a loud and clear voice,

"Where's Ginny?"

Voldemort laughed derisively as he surveyed the two teenagers in front of him. He looked at Ron as he lay prone on the ground, then back again at Harry and Hermione. The two shifted their bodies to protect their unconscious friend. Voldemort narrowed his eyes as he looked at her intently. "Ah, the mudblood. Good, good. I have much use for you...

"A pity that you came so early. I was planning to toy with your friend here first, to make him suffer by making him believe that it was his beloved sister who was torturing him to death. But since you are all here...just as well. The real celebration can begin. Lucius, bring the sacrifice."

Another hooded figure appeared from the shadows, followed by two others who were holding a struggling figure between them. Hermione looked wide-eyed at Harry and he returned her gaze grimly as they noted the younger Malfoy bound in ropes with a rag tied across his mouth. Lucius Malfoy took off his own hood and looked coldly at his son. 

"Act like a real man and stop struggling against the ropes for they are magically bound. You will only hurt yourself," Lucius admonished his son, who glared back at him.

Hermione looked around frantically, trying to discern for any additional presence behind the trees. Voldemort noticed the direction of her gaze and smiled at her, making the blood run cold in her veins. It seemed as if she would never be warm again.

Voldemort hissed, "I do not need other people just to deal with children. They are now preparing to attack the castle. As soon as the sacrifice has been made, they will storm Hogwarts. We will be invincible."

Harry stood there as if cast in stone. "You will never be able to defeat Dumbledore," he said confidently, staring at Voldemort.

"That old bumbling fool?" Voldemort said contemptuously. Lucius spat on the ground. The other two robed figures removed their hoods as well and Harry saw that they were Crabbe and Goyle, senior. 

"Even he knows how powerful a living sacrifice is. Especially during the full moon." Voldemort gazed at the sky as if entranced by it. His attention was then called to Draco, who had doubled his efforts in struggling against his bindings. He stepped towards the boy and painfully whipped off the rag that covered Draco's mouth. Hermione sucked in a horrified gasp as the welts on Draco's face came into stark relief, proving his intense struggle against his bonds. 

"Father..." Draco whispered to Lucius Malfoy, his voice cracking from lack of use. Voldemort slapped him hard across the face and there was a sickening thud as Draco fell to the ground. Both Harry and Hermione flinched at the loud crack of sound. A trail of blood snaked its way from the corner of Draco's mouth to his chin.

"You'll never finish this alive, Voldemort," Harry stated in a calm voice. Hermione admired his nerve for saying that, especially since it seemed that they were the ones on the losing side. 

Then Harry spoke, "Accio, wands!" He caught all their wands in his left hand, giving back Hermione's wand to her, along with Ron's.

A slow smile spread across Voldemort's face. It seemed that he admired Harry's aggressiveness. "What makes you think I even need a wand?"

He raised up his hand and said, "Crucio!"

Hermione had never felt such intense pain in her life. Her head hurt like it was going to explode, her eyes were rolling back in her head...she felt like she was going to faint. She felt herself drop to the ground.

It was gone all in a sudden. Her head cleared and she looked at Harry, who it seemed, recovered faster and was looking at her in concern. He gathered her in his arms and shot a look of fury at Voldemort, who laughed softly, menacingly. 

Harry whispered urgently in Hermione's ear, "Do not resist the pain, it will only be harder on you. Use your mind to disassociate yourself from it." Comprehension dawned on her face and she gave him a slight nod.

Voldemort taunted Harry, "My, my, what a touching scene. Too bad, each and every one of your friends will die tonight and there is nothing you can do to save them." He slowly turned his head towards Lucius Malfoy in an unspoken signal, and Lucius brought his struggling son to the stone. The other two men stepped towards Harry and Hermione, who were preparing to resist when Voldemort once again uttered another unforgivable curse, "Imperio!"

Harry saw Hermione stare in horrified fascination as their feet brought them closer and closer to the stone where Draco was leaning on. Voldemort looked on as his three assistants bound together the three teenagers tightly. They were sitting on the stone, their backs to each other with their legs sprawled outwardly. Voldemort strode towards them, his robes flickering behind him as a gust of wind suddenly blew about, making them all shiver in the cold.

He began to chant, "Animae nunc confundite numine lunae, hic hostia decorum cultere accipe." Over and over, Voldemort chanted until Harry felt his head spin and his heart was pounding so loudly it felt like it would jump out of his chest.

Suddenly, Harry could feel Hermione and Draco inside him. No, he mentally shook his head, they weren't really inside him but that was how it felt. He could feel their presence and it shook him. Hermione was terrified, although it did not show on her face. And Draco was intensely furious. He felt their emotions as though it were his own.

Voldemort put his hand beneath Harry's chin, looked at him appraisingly and saw the turmoil in his eyes. "Ah, it worked. The soul-binding spell worked!" He cackled gleefully.

Voldemort walked around the stone, speaking to himself in concentration. "The only begotten son. The vestal virgin. The lucky one. What else is needed for the ultimate sacrifice of the ages?" He continued his pace until Draco could no longer hold it in and gritted out, 

"Can't you stop that? I'm beginning to get dizzy. We all are. Hermione is about to throw up, I need to pee and Harry..."

"Shut up!" snarled Voldemort, as he halted his walking. Oh no, thought Hermione. The only unforgivable curse he hadn't used yet was Avada Kedavra and he just might... she almost screamed as she felt Draco nudge her with his elbow. 

I don't understand it but...I can actually imagine your thoughts. You're projecting them. Harry inclined his head slightly. 

I know. It must be the spell he used... Draco's voice filled her mind again. At least it's not a body-melding spell. Imagine if I had your hair and Harry's little..." 

The two boys suddenly saw the image of a stone wall in their minds. It seemed that Hermione did not appreciate their intrusions, nor humour in this situation. Lighten up, Granger, Draco projected. She couldn't have undergone a worse experience than he, finding out that he was going to be sacrificed to the Devil by his own father. Power-hungry bastard, he thought resentfully, as Hermione nudged him with a shoulder. Sorry, she channelled and Draco saw an image of her penitent face. It's just that, I don't know how to handle this right now...

Harry saw Voldemort looking at them through narrowed eyes. "Hmm. It seems that there is more to this soul-binding than I thought. He placed his hand over Harry's head gripped a fistful of hair. He saw Hermione wince and drop her head. Draco's expression did not betray anything at all. "Curious. Curious, indeed."

"I have chosen you all for special qualities. One for luck, another for intelligence and the last for beauty. Aside from other symbolisms."

Harry felt Hermione stiffen at the insult. He pressed his arm against her warningly. Looking at the ground beyond Voldemort, he saw Ron starting to stir and sent up a plea that he keep himself down. Hermione saw the image of Ron. Evidently, Draco had the same image, because his arm twitched suddenly. 

Ron stopped moving. It looked as if he were dead. Hermione couldn't stop the tears from falling silently on her cheeks. She bit on her lip until it bled. Voldemort saw the blood as it bloomed on her lip and reached out to touch it. He brought it close to his face and licked his finger. Then he flicked his robe and strode towards Lucius Malfoy and the other men. He gave them some instructions and they rushed off into the night, in the direction of Hogwarts.

Voldemort turned back to them, red eyes glowing. "Thank you for reminding me the next step in the sacrificial process," he bowed mockingly in front of Hermione. "I needed to be alone for this, otherwise, the power from the blood sacrifice might get dispersed. Now I will raise my power to unleash the forces of victory!" He threw back his head and the screech of mirthless laughter that issued from his mouth prickled the hair at the back of their necks. He turned his back to them and started chanting eerily again, his hands raised towards the night sky, a dagger with a jewelled hilt glinting from his right fist and his eyes fixed upon the full moon.

He did not notice Ron's hand flick his wand to loosen the bindings on the three. Hermione gave a start when she felt the ropes loosen around her and wanted to kick herself for reacting. The others were as still as stones. She heard the counting in her mind, one, two, three...and then Harry and Draco jumped from the stone, bringing her along with them and landing on top of Voldemort. They quickly removed the rope and stood up. Ron joined them, dragging himself wearily. 

Voldemort stood up and they all faced each other confrontationally. They started circling around Voldemort, trying to keep him off-balanced. The silence was deafening. 

Harry spoke up. "This is between you and me. Leave everyone else out of this." He gazed unwaveringly at Voldemort.

"Ah, you think you will still be as lucky this time," he said, turning to keep up with Harry. "You forget so easily. I can touch you now and I can just as easily crush you."

They eyed each other warily. Hermione could see an image of Draco jumping Voldemort just as Harry distracted him from the front. What do I do? she wondered. 

Just play the damsel in distress part. You're good for it, floated a sarcastic voice. 

Hermione had to remind herself not to glare at Draco. Otherwise, Voldemort would be reminded of the side effect of his little spell.

Isn't that such a cliché? Wouldn't he figure it out fast? she thought.

Harry's strong voice filled her mind. This Voldemort is slightly demented. It must be a side effect of coming back literally from the dead. Remember when he licked your blood off his finger?

Ewwww, two voices resounded in Harry's mind.

Hermione saw Ron positioning himself from behind Voldemort. Draco was poised to spring from the side as soon as Harry distracted Voldemort. However, before Harry could do anything, Voldemort stopped moving suddenly, raised his hands in Harry's direction and started uttering the killing curse, "Avada..."

He never got to finish what he was saying. Ron was roused into action and tackled Voldemort. Voldemort instinctively folded his arms. He forgot the dagger he was holding.

Ron staggered into an upright position and they all looked at Voldemort, who was lying there prone and still. Draco kicked him him over and they saw the jewels from the hilt winking at them. The dagger had been buried deep in his chest and his eyes stared fixedly at the sky. He was dead.

Hermione checked him for vital signs. She breathed a sigh of relief as she shook her head at the others. 

"Why did you have to check him? He was clearly dead," spoke up Draco.

"Well, in Muggle horror movies..." she trailed off as she saw that only Harry understood her and was fighting back a chuckle. "Never mind. Just take my word for it, you always need to check."

She walked over to the side, picked up all the wands that had fallen to the forest floor and handed Harry, Ron and Draco their wands. She stuffed Voldemort's and the Death Eaters' wands in the pocket of her robe before flicking her own to levitate the body. They walked silently to the castle where they saw the Death Eaters fighting the occupants. They had come just in time. Some bodies were already strewn on the grounds and the rest of the Death Eaters scattered as soon as they saw Harry and the others with a body floating in front of them. Draco saw his father and his mother among the bodies that had been left behind. He dragged their bodies together and removed his robe, and knelt to cover them with it partially. He stayed there for a moment while the others waited at a respectful distance until he composed himself and joined them.

Dumbledore welcomed them gravely as he looked at Voldemort's body. "They believed they would be invincible. It led to their defeat. The fact that he had been raised by your blood before, Harry, ensured that he could not harm you --- although he was not aware of that. He was connected to you and killing you would have killed him as well. Dementors were already at the parapet of the castle in preparation for the command to go in but they started gliding back in the direction of Azkaban upon sensing the death of their master."

The hospital wing was overflowing with the amount of people who were wounded in the battle. Susan Bones looked up from her bed, pale-faced, as Hermione tiredly entered the door. "Hermione," she blurted out in anguish, " I killed someone..." and burst into tears as Hermione gathered her up in her arms. She whispered to Susan, "I know what you mean..." and tears started running down her face as well.

Harry looked at her, Ron and Draco. Was it just him or did they seem to age all of the sudden?

************

Harry found himself left with a feeling of frustration that he could not seem to sense Hermione as well as before. He knew for certain that she was well, as he seemed able to be aware of her life energy. But that was the extent of it. He could not sense from which direction it came from. It irked him that they had this imperfect gift, one that had not been fully honed and therefore prone to miscalculation. At least that was how it seemed to him.

Draco checked the locator alarm on his wrist. All Aurors were assigned one but Harry's locator had just been damaged in his last mission. Since all the locator alarms would feature the name of the one who was being summoned urgently, he had been able to inform Harry about it so everything was fine.

"I guess you're the only one who has an emergency there. I'll be dropping by my place for a while and then I'll go catch up with you at the office," Draco said carelessly as he went out the door. One could not just Apparate anywhere inside the building. There were protective wards to make sure that the inhabitants were protected. That was one lesson Harry took to heart from Hogwarts.

Draco went inside the elevator and visualised his apartment. The elevator moved silently and before he knew it, it had stopped in front of his door. He stepped out into the hallway and probed the lock with his mind automatically, almost absentmindedly. As soon as he came in, he headed straight for a room at the end of the apartment. He knocked softly on the door and it opened. He cautiously stuck his head around the door and looked silently at the woman with unruly brown hair who was seated at the writing table. She looked up from her book, walked over to him and gave him a hug. 

I'm fine, she thought at him. Thanks for asking.

End of Chapter


	3. Here Is Gone

  
Chapter Two: Here Is Gone

_I'm not the one who broke you  
I'm not the one you should fear  
We got to move you darlin'  
I thought I lost you somewhere  
But you were never really ever there at all  
  
And I want to get free  
Talk to me  
I can feel you falling  
And I wanted to be  
All you need  
Somehow here is gone_  


Hermione had been sitting at the the walnut desk for hours, lost in thought. Her book lay open in front of her as she stared at it with unseeing eyes.

It had been exactly a year since she had stolen off in the middle of the night, leaving Harry sleeping unsuspectingly as she left in the dark hours before dawn. It had been his birthday yesterday and she thought briefly of the circumstances that landed her in this situation. Her face flamed slightly. She sighed and shifted her position, finally giving in to the temptation to slump over the table, burying her face in the pages of the book before her. She inhaled the smell of ink and the thought crossed her mind that it must be very weird to like the smell of a book.

Draco had thoughtfully supplied her with a pile of books when she had first arrived a month ago, weary and exhausted from her travels. As she eagerly devoured the books which her self-exile forced her to forgo, she found that new ones appeared as quickly as she had finished with a batch. At first, it bothered her that Draco might be spending so much on her as his guest but then she surmised that it must have come from his collection when she saw the fantastically huge bookcases filled with books of every imaginable shape and size in a large room beside her assigned one. It was in this room that she spent her days wandering about in, recuperating from the exhaustion that the frequent travelling and hiding had given her. 

However, whimsy struck her that day. She had selected a few books and brought them to her room instead. It was here that she was now in contemplation, murmuring a belated apology to the book that she had not given her full attention to (which was amazing, considering her almost all-consuming passion for them).

Thinking about Harry made her face colour again. She thought of what had happened between them and what her gut reaction was upon realising what they had done. She was terrified at the change in the dynamics of their relationship, terrified at what she had wrought. She knew how both her best friends felt about her --- it would have been laughably funny if she didn't. She stifled a small smile as she remembered how ridiculous it had been when the two boys had tried to compete for her affections in what they thought was an inconspicuous manner. Bursting out inelegantly in snorts, she recalled their question about her sexuality. Not that it was any of their business, but she gave in and told them. Because they were her best friends. Because she loved them both, perhaps not equally at times, but didn't want to upset the delicate balance of their relationship. And now her worst nightmare had come true.

Which brought her to seek Draco's help.

She never thought that she could ever tolerate being on good terms with someone who had insulted her for much of her Hogwarts days, much less be close to him. But after Voldemort's demise, she found out that one could not just cut ties with someone whom she, in an inexplicable way, shared her mind with. Whenever she sensed that Draco was feeling out of sorts, anger and rage warring in his mind, she would unobtrusively find a way to talk with him.

And Draco, being the git that he could be, would hurtfully try to drive her away. Not that it made a bit of difference --- she had already become aware that Draco was only using words to shield his vulnerability. Since she would just give him a baleful stare whenever he tried to lie to her, he finally gave in and became as brutally honest as he could. He evidently thought that would drive her away. It only made her determined to strip the complex layers off the man that he had become. Perhaps she could help him heal and overcome the self-hatred that was threatening to consume him after his parents' demise. It gave her a clue that he subconsciously needed her when it dawned that he never tried to shut her out of his mind, the way she had when she felt threatened by either Harry's or his thoughts.

It was this same "save the world" complex that had led to her involvement with Neville on the Hogwarts Express so long ago, and then, with Harry. She had always had a weakness for people who seem to need help. At first, it looked as if Ron would resent her for becoming close friends with Harry as well. He would demean her. They argued so often that it was almost a staple in their interaction. Which was why it somewhat surprised her that he became jealous when she went to the ball with Victor Krum in their fourth year. Although perhaps it shouldn't have --- love was the emotion most akin to hate. Not that she thought he hated her, it was just that sooner or later, all those extraneous feelings would grow into something else. Or maybe it was just that neither he nor Harry had ever seen her in a different light other than that of their bookish friend. Figures that it had to take someone else paying attention to her for them to notice that she was of a different gender.

She sat at the writing desk of her room and mused on the thought that Draco had just taken her in when she came back, no questions asked. She knew that she could not stand to see either Harry or Ron yet. When she had first left, it was her intention to make it seem like she had dropped off the face of the earth. In truth, she went to many different places, staying incognito by using a variety of disguises. 

She had prepared for this by casting a familiarity spell on her apartment to allow a specific someone access to it and owling two friends: George, so that he could check on her place once in a while, and Neville, who could take care of Crookshanks and her plants. Sending those owls had been a risk. She had found out through various sources that Harry and Ron had left the Quidditch world amidst much commotion, only to become Aurors. Their move had truly surprised her. She didn't know what to say or what to think. It certainly made it harder to hide. 

It seemed at times that she was only moving a step ahead of them. When she went abroad to a go to a mystical mountain called Mount Banahaw in a remote island nation in Asia, Harry had requested to be assigned to Asia as well. She switched to Luxembourg but then he also transferred nearby, choosing an assignment that brought him there. She wondered if this was happening despite the shielding that she had so carefully cast so as not to project her thoughts to either him or Draco. He and Ron often worked in tandem, when a particular assignment needed two Aurors. It was like a game of cat and mouse and it had worn her down. She had stayed in almost twenty places during the past year, living in fear of discovery. 

She had always known that she wanted a measure of independence in her life; this made her decide to try living life as a single woman. Mythology had always held a certain fascination for her and Artemis seemed like a perfect role model. It wasn't that she had a disdain for men, it was just the emotional dependence on another person that made her shy away from pledging her life forever to someone. She had come to that conclusion after seeing so many of her friends hop from one relationship to another. Commitment to just one other person for a lifetime was no longer a highly held ideal, and she did not want to take a risk. 

Hiding behind a very busy career was a good enough excuse as any. Of course, her loving parents were quite disappointed to see that they would not be having a grandchild in the near future. But that had not stopped them from loving her unconditionally. Neither did they intrude in her private life. She supposed she was one of the lucky few to have such supportive parents.

Up until now, she had not felt ready to test the new dynamics of her relationship with her two best friends. It was that certainty of things forever changed between the three of them that had caused her to flee. After so many years of wanting to keep everything on an even keel between them, to make sure that their friendship would last, she had decided not to be put into the position of having to choose either of them. That delicate balancing act had worked perfectly well until the night of Harry's birthday. A night she would never forget. 

She had given him the gift of herself. She felt a stir of arousal upon remembering the events in his bedroom but just as quickly quelled it. And then her thoughts sent her crashing back to earth.

That one night had destroyed the foundations of a carefully nurtured relationship between the three of them.

It was a wonder that Harry and Ron had stuck together despite what had happened. It reinforced her belief that she made the right decision in leaving --- at least the two of them had stayed friends. Whereas if she had stayed, she would have caused outright hostility between them. It would have cast a shadow upon a relationship with Harry. And she did not want anything to come between their friendship as a trio. With her out of the picture, at least they had each other.

She was glad to find out that Ron had finally started to date other girls. In fact, he was currently seeing a girl named Carla. This brought a smile on her lips, a smile tinged with sorrow as she sent out a silent apology to Ron for having hurt him badly by what had happened.

But nothing would surely compare to the hurt she had caused Harry. She remembered feeling the surprise and then frantic worry that he felt when he woke up and saw that she wasn't there. He had not bothered to shield his thoughts from her and she had to be careful not to transmit anything to him, even as she felt the full range of his emotions. Her loss had driven him to a path which he had not previously chosen to take. Still, Hermione felt a bittersweet kind of pride at knowing that the three of them were in the same profession now, together again...almost. 

She would have to return soon. Her leave was already up.

It was then that she felt Draco coming nearer. He was already in the apartment. She stood up, saw him looking at her from around the door and felt his concern for her. It touched her to know that he was willing to give her the time she needed. No demands, no explanations. She hugged him and projected to him --- _ I'm fine. Thanks for asking._

************

Draco felt Hermione's arms around him and stiffened a little. He had not expected the hug, nor was he aware of what prompted it. He was quite careful about showing any affection towards Hermione. She had been the only one who saw through him during the lowest moments of his life and it bothered him at times that she had given so much of herself. He purposefully made himself relax and gingerly put his arms around her. He thought at her, _Why is it that you feel so comfortable with me?_

She grinned and thought back, _Aww, you may look like you're an ice queen but you're really just a pussycat. Besides, you're just about the safest guy to be with._

Well, they had differing opinions on that but he let it pass. _The role of the gay best friend_, he thought sardonically and his eyebrow quirked upwards. _That's a new one_.

She shrugged and thought humorously, _ At least **I** know it's just a front_.

Draco smiled against her hair and mockingly thought, _Why is it that if you dress well, wear something that smells good and take some pains with your appearance, people automatically assume that you're gay? Now if they just assumed I was bisexual, things would be different._

_Are you?_ she rested against his arms to look at his face. He just gave a slight smirk. 

_Well, you were asking, why the 'gay' tag? _ she raised an eyebrow. _ When you're more beautiful than half the female population..._

He pretended to pull at her hair and while she struggled half-heartedly, laughing silently at him, he stilled her by trapping her arms against her body with his arms.

A month ago, an owl had arrived at his apartment with a mysterious letter. He was to meet with someone with regards to some information about his assignment at the time. He took some precautions in case it turned out to be a trap. Armed with some of the most complex spells available only to those who had undergone training as Aurors, he walked into the tavern in the seedier parts of London. He sat down in a corner booth and waited until the informant was ready to show himself. A figure in oversized clothing approached him and he readily discerned the glamourie that the other person used as a disguise. However, it still surprised him when the person sat down and removed the spell... to reveal Hermione. He should have known.

Among the three of them, it had seemed that Draco had the strongest talent for shielding. The few times he had done so when he, Harry and Hermione practised secretly, they had noticed that he could block more than they could. Harry was able to shield whenever he didn't want them to be aware of his more private thoughts but his shield sometimes leaked and the other two would secretly trade glances to confirm that they had "heard" what he was thinking. Sometimes it was something as innocuous as weariness after a Quidditch match when everyone in their old school came at the games to watch and cheer him and Ron on. Even though he was tired, he would pretend not to be and still agree to go out with everyone for a celebration after a win. However, for the more dangerous ones that tread on thoughts of skin and silk sheets, she herself blocked them out while Draco would cheerfully try to remove her shielding so that he could tease her evilly about it.

So it was to him that she turned to for help when she became weary of running. She had known that it was only a matter of time before Harry found her as her shielding had become very thin and stretched out after a year of constant exhaustion from hiding. Draco used his talent to shield her. A month in seclusion at his apartment, right under Harry's very nose, had helped her to recover. 

He turned her so that he could look more closely at her, peering into her eyes as she calmly accepted his scrutiny. She had mostly kept to herself and this was the first time she had openly expressed affection towards him. It seemed that she was doing better. 

He crushed her in a stronger hug and felt her do the same. It was a relief for him that she was gradually returning to the old Hermione he knew, strong and independent. It had alarmed him that when he first saw her, her skin had been pale to the point of translucence and she was alarmingly thin. Now, Draco was inordinately pleased to note, she had regained the bloom in her cheeks. Even her hair had returned to its previous unruly state. 

His mood was shifting toward dangerous grounds. There was only so much a man (even one who was a wizard) could do when he had an attractive witch in his arms. He slowly took a deep breath and groaned inwardly when all it did was to make him aware of the smell of vanilla and wildflowers from the shampoo that she used. He gradually loosened his embrace, held her at arm's length and projected to her: _ Harry just came back._

She nodded, indicating to him that she was aware of it. 

She left the circle of his arms and walked toward the kitchen, automatically preparing a sandwich for him to take to work. He sat on a kitchen stool as she went busily about. When this routine had first started, he wanted to tell her not to bother but he sensed that it gave her a sense of purpose to do so, and in a way, expressed her gratitude to him. Not that he wasn't as curious as hell about why she felt she had to leave and where she had been --- but that was her call. 

He felt gratitude for her help in the past and that was what made him support her this time around. However, it seemed that this gratitude business went on and on and on...it could get pretty tiring. Sometimes he wondered whether it would have been better had he been the old Draco --- a snobbish, mean, petty little...ferret. He shuddered at the memory. It would have meant that he would not have this altogether good friendship with Hermione and it made up for everything.

Draco was surprised when she started making two sandwiches. He quirked an eyebrow at her curiously and she cleared her throat and spoke in a voice hoarse from disuse, "I'm coming back to work today."

************

Hermione felt a shiver of fear run up her spine as Draco parked his gleaming black Harley-Davidson in the parking lot of the inconspicuous Auror division building in the middle of Muggle London. She took off her helmet and shook out her hair, handing it to Draco as he removed the key from its ignition. He took it from her and watched appreciatively as she stood there, blinking in the sunlight. 

It was probably the way she looked at him in a friendly manner --- perhaps the only girl who did not devour him with her eyes. He removed his helmet in one smooth move and tucked it in the crook of his arm while he held the other helmet in his hand. He kicked the small lever that parked the motorcycle and gracefully swung his leg off to land on the ground. He strode off, following Hermione through the revolving doors and into the gray building with an indiscernible facade. 

He almost ran into her as she came to a sudden stop in front of the twin doors at the end of the fake main lobby, which served as a front for the real one. He looked at her curiously, noting her shallow breathing and the pale cast of her skin as she looked at the door, her hand stilled on its handle. Her eyes were wide with trepidation and he had the sudden urge to yank her inside the doors just to get it over with. He suppressed his violent impulse and waited for her to speak, to think...anything but the silence that seemed to have cast a spell over her. He knew that she could get past the worst of it if she just willed her feet to move. 

Her lips had suddenly gone dry. She licked them and swallowed hard. She stole a glance at Draco, who was leaning on the side of the archway, his eyes looking at her sternly. _Well, what are you waiting for?_ he asked telepathically.

She felt like screaming at him...anything to release the tension coiled inside her belly. She said furiously in a low voice, "I'm going! Just give me a bit of time to work my nerve up."

He snorted and said a rude word, which made her eyes widen in surprise. 

"Think some more than you already have and your feet will have you running out of this place faster than I can say 'Boo'."

"You just don't know," her breath came out in short nervous puffs, "how scared I am --- about how Harry, Ron and the others will react once I step in that door."

He laughed mirthlessly at her. Tough love time. "What about what they would do to me once they find out that I've been sheltering you for a month? Aren't you afraid they would pummel my handsome face to a pulp?"

"You're prettier than you are handsome," she said automatically. "Why don't I just try this another day?" She was poised to flee.

"Oh no, you don't." In one smooth move, he opened the door on the right and shoved her in, closing the door behind her. She stumbled inside the lobby (which was designed to remotely look like one of the house common rooms at Hogwarts, with a high ceiling and couches), and straightened up promptly, looking at the stunned surprise on every face. Susan looked in wide-eyed shock at her and promptly dropped the sheaf of papers she was carrying. Elia, the witch-in-charge of the South American desk, didn't even wince when Neville's books dropped on her foot. Ron, who had been talking to Susan, gulped and just stood there, his jaw hanging loosely open. And Harry...

Harry's face was carefully blank.

Harry felt his mind race, crossing the whole range of emotions. His initial shock at seeing her had travelled rapidly from relief to happiness to anger. He felt his face drain of blood as he got over his initial shock. 

She was here. She was here. She really was. Here.

And his brain was playing like a broken record.

He made sure that his face would not show the inner turmoil he was experiencing. He waited until she moved and started following her. Ron muttered his excuses to Susan (who was too stunned to say anything back) and started following Hermione as well.

Hermione started walking towards the office of the liaison Aurors for Muggle affairs. As soon as she walked through the door, her officemates stood up in shock and hurriedly cleared out when they saw Harry and Ron following behind her. She shut the door, clenched her hands behind her and leaned on the door. Harry and Ron stood there, waiting for her to compose herself. She took a deep breath and opened her mouth but before she could speak, the door was suddenly wrenched open and in walked Albus Dumbledore.

Harry and Ron automatically reached out to steady Hermione, who had stumbled from the force with which the door had been opened. She was in a state that heightened her sensitivity to rejection and she noted sadly that they let go of her as soon as she regained her balance.

"Oh, I'm very sorry, Hermione," Dumbledore said gruffly. "I received your owl yesterday about reassuming your position and I wanted to welcome you back formally." He bowed slightly in her direction and proffered a hand. She took it gratefully, like a lifeline tossed to a drowning man.

"Thank you, Albus. I am happy to be back."

Dumbledore nodded his head to the other two people in the room and said, "I trust that Harry and Ron have already informed you about working as Aurors. They decided to undergo training almost a year ago and are currently assigned, in their rotation, in the International Affairs division under Sirius. They will be assigned to different divisions this week --- depending on their next preference."

Hermione sucked in her breath sharply and went to one of the filing cabinets, opened the second drawer and pulled out a folder, taking it with her to her table. She riffled through the sheaf of papers inside it and looked for a specific heading in one of them. She gave an inward sigh of relief when she noted that Harry and Ron had both finished their stint in her department. She smiled brightly at Dumbledore and said to him, "I'll be reporting to your office as soon as I finish up a few things, Albus. Thank you for the warm welcome."

Dumbledore waved goodbye to Harry and Ron and went out of the office. As soon as the door closed with a soft click, Hermione turned to face her friends and found two faces staring back stonily at her.

************

Draco had his ear pressed next to the door and then, after a moment, felt like kicking himself for forgetting that the doors were soundproof. Hell, everything was soundproof in the complex. He waited a few more minutes before he opened one of the doors and sauntered into the lobby. 

The real lobby was designed in the manner of the common rooms at Hogwarts, on a larger scale. Perhaps the architect had from Hogwarts. A lot of those who worked at the Ministry came from Hogwarts, and felt right at home. The lobby was where, if one stayed there long enough, all the people who worked at the Ministry would pass by sooner or later. The interiors were done tastefully in colours of warm hues; grey runners ran tastefully along orange European stucco walls. Pale yellow rays from sun filtered through the skylight. It added just the right touch of drama to the surroundings without any melancholic effects. Couches were scattered all around, and there were cups on the tables from the last occupants. Draco gave a slight sigh. Hermione's entrance had evidently caused quite a stir, as there were usually people hanging out here. The area was deserted. He speculated that they were probably talking about it in their respective departments. Frankly, it surprised him that Dumbledore had not told anyone else the reason Hermione gave for her sudden leave of absence to forestall any rumours from flying about. Surely he had his reasons for doing so.

Albus Dumbledore had been the Minister of the Ministry of Magic for more than four years already. He had accepted the position after Voldemort was finally defeated. Cornelius Fudge had been given an early retirement, due to his blind denials about Voldemort's return, and then bungling the attempts to fight him. Minerva McGonagall was given the position of Headmistress at Hogwarts, to no one's surprise. After all, she deserved it. And the school was doing as well as ever.

Draco went into the office of the Aurors who were assigned to domestic affairs department and slid his chair back. He was about to sit down when he observed that something was amiss. He frowned in concentration, his eyes narrowed into slits as he stored away the helmets under the table. He said in a low and dangerous voice, "Who took the Helderman file from my desk?"

Blaise smirked and glanced sideways at Dean. "I told you he'd know that someone touched one of the precious files on his table. No matter that it's messy and overflowing with debris, he wouldn't miss something like that."

Dean gave a long sigh and stood up, bringing the missing file with him. He laid it on Draco's table and said in amazement, "I took a file from under that junk on your table. How did you know it was missing?"

"Pure talent." He took the file from on top of the other folders and shoved it back in the exact place Dean got it from. Dean gaped at Draco.

Blaise looked back at Dean, shrugged and said, "Pay up."

As Dean and Blaise were arguing about their bet, Draco stole away, going outside to the unisex toilets located at the end of the corridor. He shoved open the door, surprising the couple who was busily snogging inside. John and Elia sprang apart, Elia hastily buttoning her robe. They hurriedly went out of the unisex, leaving Draco by himself. He grinned at his reflection in the mirror, thinking that the name of the unisex should be changed to the unishag. Perhaps multishag, considering the use a lot of couples had made of it. He went to relieve himself, then zipped his trousers and went to the faucets. He leaned against the counter, paused to cup a hand under the automatic soap dispenser, then rapidly worked the soap into a lather until he felt that his hands were logically clean. He continued rubbing for a few more minutes --- sometimes he felt like he couldn't be clean enough. He shook off the excess water into the washbowl before grabbing a few paper towels out of the dispenser. He was wiping his hands when he was hit by a sense of distress. Hermione, he thought, and dashed out of the unisex.

************

Hermione felt like she was hyperventilating. Harry and Ron had done nothing but look silently at her from the time she closed the door. She waited a few moments before inwardly acknowledging the obvious: they were waiting for her to start. _Was this a pre-arranged agreement between them or something, _ she thought, forgetting to shield in her mounting panic.

_Yes, it was._ She was surprised at Harry's thought and her gaze shifted from a point just between the two men to him. 

She was starting to hyperventilate and he knew it. After more than a year of knowing only of her general well-being, it felt good to know again what she was thinking and feeling. Harry took note of what she had been thinking and replied automatically. Her eyes were as wide as saucers and she was starting to look a bit ill but Harry hardened his heart. He had to --- otherwise, he would be a lost cause.

Hermione cleared her throat and started, "I know you've been wondering what I've been up to..."

"Wondering?" snorted Ron. "To put it mildly, yes, we were _wondering_ what happened to you. No owls, no nothing. How did you expect us to feel, not knowing where you were? And you were away for a fucking year. Not even a howler."

"I had every right to go off where I wanted to, when I wanted to. I don't think I have to check in with you every time I feel like taking off," she responded heatedly.

Harry refrained from answering, guarding against the possibility that Hermione might feel overwhelmed with the odds of two against one. Instead, he let a little of what he was feeling escape, transmitting his mood to her.

Hermione felt a sense of despair projecting from Harry. She closed her eyes and let it flow over her and embrace her. She felt a few tears prick behind her eyelids and strengthened her resolve to stand her ground. _It's not fair, Harry, _ she projected back. _She was her own woman, dammit._

_Being your own woman is different from being inconsiderate._ The coldness of the tone that came from Harry's thoughts made her back stiffen defensively. She turned her back on them and fought for composure. Harry had a point, she noted. Calm down, calm down.

Hermione turned again to face Harry and Ron. She looked at them squarely in the eye, going from Ron to Harry, took a deep breath and said in a toneless voice. "I am sorry for making you both worry. I know that not leaving any word to two of the people who matter so much to me was thoughtless. But I think you know that a prolonged goodbye was not ideal, given that the situation between the three of us had suddenly become awkward. I'm sure you know what I mean and I don't need to draw you a map. Perhaps we can set another day and talk about this when we are all more in the mood for listening to each other. I am very tired right now and I don't think I can do this."

Ron noticed all at once that she had dark circles underneath her eyes. Suddenly, he felt guilty and defensive. His eyes narrowed and he fired back. " 'Become involved'? Why don't you just say it for what it is? You had sex with Harry and you left him, just like a one night stand. Call a spade, a shovel, or whatever Muggle saying it was."

Hermione almost burst out into tears during the first part of what Ron said but the second part undid her. She laughed helplessly as the hard coil of tension unwound itself from inside her belly. Soon, Harry and Ron were laughing along with her.

"I said something wrongly again, didn't I," Ron snorted in mirth.

Harry grinned. "Yes, you did. And for once, I'm glad."

The laughter gradually died down and the three of them stared at each other. The moment passed and grew into awkwardness.

Hermione gestured with a hand towards the door. "Would you like to set our talk for this evening, instead? Maybe we can go to The Bayberry for dinner, my treat."

Harry and Ron acknowledged her invitation with a nod and started to go on their way out.

She fought for composure and walked in silence towards her table. She sat down, holding her back stiffly until she heard the door close behind them. She slumped, burying her head in her arms. Hearing the door open again, she lifted her head and saw Draco, who crossed the room in swift strides and hauled her into his arms, where she wept until she was limp in exhaustion.

************

Draco had been standing still at the door with a hand on the door while he waited tensely for some of the thoughts entering his mind from both Harry and Hermione to show any signs of a conflagration. Caught in surprise by the sudden goodbyes, he had to backtrack a few steps and pretend to be casually walking by when Harry and Ron went out the door. As they exchanged nods, he stopped and dropped all pretense. Opening the door, he saw her with her face resting in her arms. When she looked up at him, he saw the agony there and, in spite of himself, he took her roughly into his arms and let her cry it all out.

_Women! _ he thought cynically to himself, after making sure she wouldn't sense his thoughts.

************

Hermione was getting ready in her own apartment when the bell rang. She looked at the clock and noticed that it was too early to expect Ron and Harry. She had barely finished fixing her hair. Now who would be there an hour and a half before the assigned time? She hadn't even gotten out of her towel yet. She crossed her apartment to peer at the peephole. _Draco?_ She quickly opened the locks on the door and swung it open.

She had already hugged him when she belatedly remembered that she was only half-dressed. Beckoning him to the sofa, she hurriedly dashed inside her room to get a robe.

Draco looked in the direction where she went and raised an eyebrow. He removed his jacket and carelessly put it over the armrest of the couch. Why was it that some women forget to dress up before opening the door, he thought in amusement, unbuttoning the sleeves of his shirt and rolling them up. He stuffed his tie in his pocket and popped open the button that held his collar fast. What if he had been someone who had designs on her and, without any thought, carelessly flicked open the towel that she had come out in? Not that he hadn't thought of it... 

Realising that his thoughts had taken a dangerous turn, he hastily went to the kitchen and opened the refrigerator door, letting the cold air drift over his skin.

Hermione came out of the bedroom and looked for him. She stopped short at the archway between the living area and the kitchen. She saw him staring vacantly inside the fridge and was amused at the picture he presented. "Draco, if you're not getting anything from there, kindly shut the door."

At this, he bent leisurely and picked up a can of mango juice. Carrying it over to the table, he sat down, popped the tab and started drinking. Hermione stared, fascinated, as the bump in his neck bobbed up and down. She shook herself out of it and asked him, "So, what brings you here?"

He slowly put the can down and faced her, resting a foot over the rung of the next chair. She was sitting primly with her hands together, wrapped in a white fluffy robe. He smiled angelically and said, "I'm here for some moral support."

She looked at him suspiciously. He cocked an eyebrow and shrugged in a gesture of innocence. In the next moment, he grinned wolfishly. "Okay, so I wanted to see the fireworks."

"There won't be any. We're going out to The Bayberry for dinner. My treat."

"Serious bribery." He smirked. The Bayberry was the most expensive restaurant in the city. It had a waiting list an arm long just to get in. "So, who would you have to sleep with, in order to get in?"

She looked pleadingly at him and his alarm system kicked into place. Uh-oh.

"I know that you have the connections to get me in, Draco. That's why I called you up earlier in the office. Not that you were there but...anyway, where were you?"

He sighed gustily and said, "I was on a trip. It took me the whole afternoon. I didn't know you were going to call, your highness, and did not deign to return. In fact, if you noticed, I came straight to you." He did not elaborate any more on how he had been attacked just a few hours ago by a robed man and narrowly escaped being Avada Kedavra'd.

"Okay, okay," she said laughingly. "So, can I count on you?"

"Consider it done. And, Hermione...do be careful." Touched, she stood up, came around the table and hugged his head. Draco froze. He could not move for fear of his nose brushing something that his hormones might respond to. After a short moment, she released him. He shifted and crossed his legs. Damn.

"So, who's your date for tonight?" She teased. He looked at her and wondered how she could have grown up without knowing much about men and their sexual triggers.

"Well, I'll be seeing Freya tonight."

"What about that other woman, you know, the one who works in a Muggle office a couple of blocks away... Josh, that was her name, wasn't it? Odd that there's a female with a name well-suited to males. At the time, I thought you were dating a guy."

He shrugged and smiled insolently. 

"Oh, yes, right. You don't go out with someone twice in a row. You keep them all on rotation. The more to keep them on a leash. Why don't you go and find someone? Someone who can be on equal terms with you?" A half-formed smile came to her lips, as she steadfastly refused to think why it mattered to her that he find his match.

"Because they're not you." He smiled teasingly at her. 

A feeling of intense longing almost came out but he quashed it before it was fully formed. He was startled. Where the hell did that come from? They certainly didn't need more complications in their lives. He was satisfied with the current status. Hermione still had Harry and Ron to deal with. And he certainly wasn't looking for monogamy. An occasional lay was fine...okay, make that frequent, he amended. He was glad that he could keep his thoughts unobtrusively to himself when the situation warranted it.

"Why would I go and find myself an equal when there are so many witches who would be willing to serve me hand and foot?" He quirked an eyebrow and toyed with the empty can of juice, rolling it on its edge, around and around.

She looked at him, appalled. "Draco!"

"Dray-coh!" He mockingly imitated her. "What? Don't tell me you're surprised."

"Well, yes I am. I refuse to believe that you can treat women that badly."

"I don't have to, they do it to themselves."

"Not all women are like that." She lifted her chin stubbornly.

"You happen to be the exception. You could see through any of the pretences I would have wanted to use on you. Might be because we happen to share minds on the odd occasion."

The doorbell rang and their eyes met, startled. She went to the door and he went out along with her, heading straight for the couch. Peeping through the hole, she sighed. It was Harry.

She opened the door and Harry looked from her, still dressed in her robe, to Draco, who had lazily propped his feet on top of the table, making himself comfortable. Harry stiffened and Hermione let out a sigh. "Come in," she said. "Draco was just on the way out, wasn't he?" She looked at Draco warningly.

He heaved a sigh and picked up his jacket dramatically. On the way out, he dropped a kiss on her forehead and told her, "Good luck." He nodded at Harry and went out, closing the door behind him.

Harry stared at the closed door and said tensely, "Is there anything I should know about?"

"About what?" said Hermione, puzzled.

"Are you together with Draco now?"

"I was away for a year. What do you think?" she told him flatly.

He crossed over to her and she took a few steps back in alarm. He looked at her with hurt shining out of his eyes and she felt guilty at once. _Harry...don't do this_, she thought pleadingly.

"Do what? I can't believe you walked out on me in the middle of the night. What happened between us...it was the most wonderful thing that happened to me. I thought you loved me as much as I loved you."

"I do love you, Harry." He took a step toward her, his hopes rising.

"It's just that...I wouldn't want anything to ruin what we all had..._have_. You, me, and Ron. I've given up so much just to make sure that nothing would come in the way of our friendship. And when we..." she choked, "made love...it was heaven...and hell..."

The words stung. He turned away from her, and stood stiffly in front of the fireplace. He never thought that anything could hurt as much as her walking out on him but this was coming a close second. She followed him and hugged him from the back, tears escaping from her eyes.

Harry felt her tears seeping through the fabric of his shirt and felt a certain resignation. He could not really blame her for what she did.

"Hermione, Ron and I would have stayed friends even with a romantic relationship between us. It would have taken a lot of talking and a few punches, sure, but it would have come out right in the end. You shouldn't have left," he said sadly.

She bit her lip and felt the tears come down faster when he turned around and held her in his arms. She cried for the lost time, for the change in their relationship, for the distance Ron would have put between himself and her. _ Why couldn't I have been a man instead?_

"If you were, I'd be very sorry."

She cursed inwardly for forgetting to shield. He tipped her chin upward with a finger while keeping his other arm around her waist. He lowered his lips to hers and she felt all the longing pour out of him. She was lost.

Harry bit her lower lip and slipped his tongue inside her mouth. She drew a sharp breath and felt desire shoot up in her. He started pulling out the pins in her hair and it slipped free onto her shoulders. Weaving his fingers into her hair, he kissed her passionately. She didn't notice that her belt had slipped and her robe was askew until their lips broke apart and his mouth strayed to her bare shoulder. She gasped and leaned on the wall as he kissed his way up back to her lips, paying special attention to her neck. His hips ground against hers and his hands travelled upwards, bringing the edge of the robe with it. Then his hands were on her bare bottom, pulling her towards him, leaving her in no doubt about his desire for her. He slipped his leg between hers and she had almost straddled him when the clock on the mantle started ringing loudly in her ear, jarring her out of the red haze of desire.

She looked at him frantically and said, "Ron will be here any minute. I've got to finish getting ready." She ran, belting her robe and straightening her hair. She entered her room, hurriedly took off her robe and slipped into a burgundy dress. She piled her hair up on her head in a French twist. She looked at her reflection in the mirror and sighed. She hastily applied some make-up to cover the fact that she looked liked she had just been kissed senseless --- which she had, but she wished it wasn't so glaringly obvious.

When she came out, Harry was standing in front of the refrigerator. She had a sense of deja vu but shook off the feeling. He looked at her and shut the door, his lips curving gently into a smile.

She looked at him warily. "Don't make the mistake of thinking that things are fine and dandy already, Harry. I don't think I'm ready for a relationship right now. I need some time and space --- I'm so sorry."

His face fell. She felt guilty as he took a step toward her, reaching out with a hand when, suddenly, the doorbell rang.

End of Chapter

Thanks to those who reviewed the first chapters that came out (prologue and Chapter 1): **Clepsydra Delphinus (Cle!),** **HarryNZ (Harry!), calicutie11 (Carla!), JBob-a-licious (Jy!), Lily Vance (!), Ebonyink (Eb!), Lucky11 (Elia!), Smilie117 (Sabs!), ChrisMiss (Chris!), JessieAnnPotter, Unholy Deity (Deity!), Elliott, katherine1130, fluffybun (Lorraine!), Tamz, lore, A Shade Violet, Tezro, Truxy and Oracle (!)**


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